Blog Archives

Boise ID

5/25/2021

We traveled to Boise early April 2021—Spring Break. My co-traveler wanted to spend a week in Boise. I wanted to explore the Oregon Trail and the Sacajawea Trail for later posts. But Boise itself has a lot to explore, so we did what we could in so short a time, trying to balance our complementary and competing interests.
     Here’s our itinerary as it worked out:

Day 1—travel to Boise via I-84 with a few stops along the way at Historic sites
                Stayed at Hampton Inn & Suites Boise-Downtown
                Late supper at Chandler’s
Day 2—within walking distance of our hotel:
                Idaho State Museum
                Zoo Boise
                Lunch at MOD Pizza
                Wandering about town
Day 3—points of interest: walking and driving
                Idaho State Capitol building
                Fort Boise Park
                Bonneville Point
Boise Depot
5 Guys burgers, Meraki Greek Street Food
Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial & Boise River Greenbelt
Day 4—to the east of Boise
                Glenn’s Ferry & Three Island Crossing (Oregon Trail)
                1000 Springs (Snake River Canyon)
                Twin Falls Arctic Circle
Shoshone Falls (Snake River Canyon)
Blowout near Mountain Home :-O Tri-County Towing changed our tire, saving us towing all the way back to Boise, followed us as far as his exit to see we were ok
Day 5—to the west of downtown Boise
(flat fix at Les Schwab—we were there at opening, they were friendly and fast)
Parma/Old Fort Boise
Farewell Bend OR (Oregon Trail)
Boise Mall
Panda Express
Day 6—head for home, mostly I-84
                Hawkins Pac-Out for lunch—family-owned traditional fast food, including finger steaks
Fast Eddy’s—everything we needed to start on our way: food, gas, oil, car wash
trip home via I-84, with a side journey to Sacajawea Historical State Park, Pasco WA

     My travel helper is interested in owning a carwash combination business, so we checked out 5 car washes in 5 days! I might as well review those here as well, at bottom.
     I’ll try to include some other options for things to do in Boise ID and places to stay. And I intend to write separate posts for the Snake River Gorge/Canyon, Baker/La Grande/Pendleton, the Oregon Trail, and the Sacajawea (Lewis & Clark) Trail, so I will just make brief mention of those here.

Parma ID
Old Fort Boise, or rather the replica, is about an hour west of Boise, near the Oregon border, in the small town of Parma in the midst of farmland, population about 2000. Parma has one of the few remaining Drive-In Theaters. The city has an RV park and a playground with restrooms and covered picnic area by the fort. Driving through town you’ll see a sign pointing to Martin Landing (A segment of the Fort Boise WMA). So we drove out to see Martin Landing, following the google gal’s directions. We would not have found it on our own. It’s a nice place for camping, fishing, shooting, if you like being in the tulies with fairly minimal development. There are picnic tables and grills, pavement in front of the vault toilet, RV spaces/tenting

Other restaurants (only a few of the options)--see photos
Hawkins Pac-Out--on our way we went to long time family owned traditional burger drive-thru for lunch, and the food was good (including a burger meal for my buddy), but finger steaks are battered and deep fried, so not good for a diabetic. http://www.hawkinspacout.com/

Fast Eddy’s was our last car wash, and they had everything we needed to get on the road. They have a unique drive through Earl of Sandwich, with interesting salads as well as sandwiches. https://www.fasteddys.com/

Other places to STAY around Boise
Near the airport, rating of at least 4 out of 5 stars:
Comfort Inn & Suites Boise
3625 W. Elder Street, Boise ID 83705
208.342.1075
By the Boise airport; friends of mine stayed here and really liked it. They allow dogs. There’s a park across street w/playground and tennis courts. Decent rates, especially w/AAA discount. Handicapped lift for the pool.

Best Western Vista Inn at the Airport
Red Lion Inn & Suites Boise Airport
Airport Inn
Hampton Inn Boise—Airport
Simple Suites Boise Airport
Holiday Inn Boise Airport, an IHG Hotel

In the center of the city:
Hotel 43
The Grove Hotel
Home2 Suites Boise Downtown
Residence Inn by Marriott Boise Downtown City Center
Inn at 500 Capitol

Car Washes we tried: all were $18 for the top service, free vacuums included in the price
My co-traveler had done his research and knew just which car washes he wanted to check out, and where they were. (In fact, he’s a great navigator on our journeys).

Mister Car Wash-- https://mistercarwash.com/

Downtown, 13th & W Front Street—very clean and bright, with big windows bringing in the light.
Near Meridian Crossroads; N Eagle Rd & E Pine Ave Meridian--not as clean as downtown, perhaps the day’s end cleaning hadn’t yet happened.
300 locations: Washington, California, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida

Bluebird Express Car Wash-- https://bluebirdexpress.com/

S. Bird St & W Overland, near the intersection of I-84 and I-184—clean and bright, very pleasant.
Also, Ontario OR and 2 other locations in Boise

Metro Express Car Wash-- https://www.metroexpresscarwash.com/

1725 E Overland Rd, Meridian ID
Also, Coeur d’Alene ID, Missoula MT, Sheridan CO

Fast Eddy’s--https://www.fasteddys.com/

Fast Eddy’s, a family-owned local business, was our last car wash, and they had everything we needed to get on the road. They have a unique drive through with interesting salads as well as sandwiches, we got our car washed and an oil change (free wash with oil change), and filled up the tank. Friendly, efficient staff, clean and beautiful architecture.

Hampton Inn & Suites in downtown Boise was the perfect location for exploring Boise. It’s right in the center, an easy walk around town with many points and places of interest, and restaurants. Their complimentary breakfast bar was open, with some adjustments for COVID care, and it provided a nice variety. There was much I couldn’t indulge in, due to diabetes, but every day I could get something like an omelet, sausages, and milk. The yogurt, of course, had too much added sugar. And I took a couple boiled eggs for the road. It’s a pleasant hotel, and we had an accessible 2 queen room with a little kitchen-like area (sink, frig, MW), and an ADA bath with roll-in shower (shower benches provided). Our room was on the 5th floor but didn’t have a terrific view. We didn’t have much time to worry about that. The pool and fitness center are also on the 5th floor, as well as the small guest laundry. They offer bikes you can rent to get around. Staff was friendly, patient, and helpful. The hotel has some snacks and such you can buy, but there’s also a gas station/convenience store right across the street. This is not a “budget” hotel.

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/boidnhx-hampton-suites-boise-downtown/

I had made some preliminary restaurant picks we might like to try, and one of them was Chandler’s a few blocks away. It was so late by the time we checked in, I doubted we would be able to eat there the first night but figured we could make a reservation for another night. Yet actuall we were able to get a reservation for that night. It’s a very nice restaurant associated with Hotel 43. It doesn’t have a particularly great view, but obviously has live music at times, very attentive and friendly staff, and excellent food, though I could suggest some sort of light lemon vinaigrette for the seafood salad. Not for slim wallets.

https://www.chandlersboise.com/contact/

Just 2 blocks south of the downtown Hampton Inn is Julia Davis Park, a family friendly park with playground, restrooms, a statue of Abe Lincoln, tennis, horseshoes, stocked fishponds, etc. That’s where the Idaho State Museum is, the Idaho Black History Museum, Zoo Boise, the Boise Art Museum, and the Discovery Center of Idaho. The park is on one side of the Boise River, and Boise State U is on the other side. There’s a bus stop right at the park, and the public library is across the street.

Since we couldn’t do all of the above, we chose the Idaho State Museum and Zoo Boise. The Idaho Black History Museum looks like a small quaint church and I thought we could manage it as well, but it was closed for COVID. Some of the interesting outdoor historic exhibits were also closed. The Idaho State Museum is a wonderful collection of Idaho and Native history, geography, touristry, commerce, farming, and at the time we went there was an exhibit on women. While it was a perfect time of year to visit Boise for the blooming trees (Boise styles itself City of Trees, les bois meaning woods in French), it was too early to see all the zoo has to offer. We enjoyed what we saw, but for instance the alligators don’t come out until June. See accompanying photos.

Usually, I like to enjoy eating at a local restaurant when we travel, but we decided to lunch at MOD Pizza, which is a chain with sites all over the US. I had never been there before and was pleasantly pleased to find that I could order a custom salad while my helper had a pizza: temptation awaft! The place was clean and bright and had an outdoor patio as well. It was a little breezy, so we ate indoors. The salad was delicious, and who could I blame if it wasn’t? https://modpizza.com/menu/
The JUMP plaza “showcases 50 vintage steam engines and tractors dating as far back as 1885”, as well as a climbing pyramid, a spiral slide, a team slide, a fountain (splash pad). They offer classes, events, bookable venues, etc. For more info, hover your cursor over “Your Visit” and choose what looks intriguing at http://jumpboise.org/jump-experiences

Wander around downtown Boise—note lots of restaurants and hotels
Capitol Blvd—from Jefferson St, then south
Idaho State Capitol Building and associated parks, Jefferson St. We spent a couple hours there at least, admiring the beauty of the building, learning about the history of the state and its peoples. Seems a great field trip to learn from the exhibits how government works, both national and state. You can even watch government at work from the gallery. Every floor has things to explore. Even the Governor’s office reception area was interesting. There’s a gift shop in the basement, and we gifted ourselves.
The old Egyptian Theatre (performing arts, classic movies, event venue)

http://egyptiantheatre.net/about/

Just across from the Egyptian Theatre is Boise City Hall with it's interesting landscaping.

Side trip east on Idaho St to the historic fire station “The 77-year old fire station located at 6th and Idaho Street is closed. Today, the building holds restaurants and business offices.”
Side trip east a block on Grove St to see the Basque Museum/Basque Block https://basquemuseum.eus/

Between Myrtle St and the Boise River is Julia Davis Park and the Greenbelt trail along the Boise River.
Just south of the Boise River is Boise State U--campus between Capitol Blvd and Broadway Ave

8th St—Jefferson St (where the State Capitol is) and south
US Post Office, historic architecture, fun statue
Boise Capital City Public Market
     The Grove Plaza, including the Visitor Center
  Idaho Central Arena (hockey, basketball, concerts, etc) https://idahocentralarena.com/
5 Guys burgers, Meraki Greek Street Food south of Front St.—my guy wanted a burger from 5 Guys, and I chose a Greek salad from Meraki next door. We were both pleased with our choices, though it seemed a long wait for a salad and a lamb skewer. I don’t know if it had to do with not giving a tip (since they didn’t have to wait table), but I felt it unreasonable to expect a gratuity for minimal service, compared to the exceptional service at Chandler’s.
Performing Arts Center, Opera Idaho between Myrtle & Fulton Streets
Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial was just a stroll/roll from where we picked up our dinners above. A nice park, an interesting park, important remembrance of history and humanity. See https://annefrankmemorial.org/virtual-memorial-tour/ There we found a spot to sit and eat.
From there we accessed the Boise River Greenbelt/paved accessible trail. We made a little side trip onto the accessible deck on the river side. The bridges across the river on 9th as well as S Capitol Blvd include a pedestrian lane.

9th St
              Hotel 43 and Chandler’s restaurant
                JUMP
                Boise Phil, Ballet Idaho, Boise Contemporary Theater in the block between Myrtle & Fulton Streets

More info about visiting Boise:

Sites to see by car
I wanted to go see Fort Boise. I didn’t realize there’s the Old Fort Boise, and the site of a later Fort Boise which is now Fort Boise Park. Old Fort Boise is to the west, and we went there another day. We drove to see Fort Boise Park. I couldn’t see any remnant or even marker about the Fort, but “Fort Boise Park is about 33 acres. Amenities include softball fields, restrooms, open play areas, community garden, baseball field, six tennis courts and an in-ground skate park.” For more info see

From thence we drove to see Bonneville Point. It’s a little drive east of Boise, then north into the hills from where you can look down into the Boise (Treasure) valley. Historic markers and interpretive signs give interesting insights into the history of the area. The final stretch of the road is dirt, and the parking area dirt. Somewhat rough but navigable in dry weather with my manual wheelchair. There are lots of hiking and vehicular trails in the area for further exploring. No picnic tables or restrooms, but shelter from the sun where some of the interpretive signs are.

https://www.blm.gov/visit/bonneville-point
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=71837
List of Historical Markers and War Memorials in Boise, Idaho https://www.hmdb.org/results.asp?Search=Place&Town=Boise&State=Idaho

Update 10-3-21
At Bonneville Point the interpretive sign mentions the 1811 Hunt exploration party. More info about that on an interpretive sign on Hwy 237 between North Powder and Union OR. Scroll down at

Another point of interest we kept noticing as we drove south on 9th Street (up the hill from where 9th and S. Capitol Blvd meet, right at the curve where Capitol becomes S. Federal Way—a lot going on right there!) was the Boise Depot. “The Boise Depot is a beautiful historic Spanish-style structure operated by the Boise Parks and Recreation Department as a public ceremonial or meeting space and historic site.”
The actual name of the Boise Mall is “Boise Towne Square”. It’s off I-84, then off I-184. The sides of the highway have been designed as pleasant architectural gardens. We enjoyed wandering through the mall and ate dinner in the food court. I was enthused to try Egyptian food, but that and other spots were closed, perhaps put out of business from COVID closures. We ate at Panda Express, which I like, but it’s not unique to Boise.

https://www.boisetownesquare.com/en/directory/

As with many malls, there was lots of shopping and other restaurants in the vicinity.
Old Fort Boise is in Parma ID, 43 mi NW of Boise, and nearly on the Idaho border. Actually the old fort was destroyed more than once, but a replica has been built in Parma. It’s open in the summer, on weekends from 1-3pm

Update 10-3-21
At Old Fort Boise one of the signs is about Marie Dorian, a Native Sioux woman who accompanied her husband with the Hunt exploration party in 1811. . More info about that on an interpretive sign on Hwy 237 between North Powder and Union OR. Scroll down at